Breathe
by TsubakiTwilight
Summary: The anger and protectiveness and frustration builds in Yeong Tae-Il's golden eyes and his shoulders tense for a heartbeat before relaxing suddenly. "… As your friend, I want to help you, Tsuna," Tae-Il says softly, gently, switching tactics to get the brunet to speak. "How can I do that if you don't tell me what's wrong?" AU! OC!
1. Chapter 1

**I.**

"Good afternoon, everyone!" The announcer's voice rang clearly through the crowded exhibition hall. "Is everyone excited?! The Grand Finale for the Male Welter Division of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships is about to begin!"

The crowd and spectators roared in approval as the two competitors approached the large mat situated at the front of the hall. They were dressed nearly identically with the both of them dressed in a white uniform with a black belt wrapped around their waists and bare feet; the only difference between the two was that the first competitor wore a red padded helmet, chest protector, and gloves while the other contestant and a blue set on.

A referee approached the two fighters and barked out, "Attention!" causing the two to straighten immediately. "Bow!" The two turned in unison and bowed once before the judges watching them from the side and once more towards each other. "Ready!" The two assumed their stances, their muscles loose and relaxed in anticipation. "Begin!"

The blue competitor launched himself forward before pivoting suddenly on his left heel, twisting his hips, and bringing up his right foot in a round-house kick. The red fighter pursed his lips together and brought his forearm up, successfully blocking the blow aimed at the side of his head before striking the blue competitor's side with his free arm.

"Point!"

The blue fighter knocked the other's hand away before twisting his body in the opposite direction, spinning on his heel, and bringing his extended leg around for an underside kick. The fighter in red, nimbly leapt up and away from the blue competitor – placing some distance between them. The blue competitor let out a yell and charged forward once more, this time cocking back his arm and lashing out with a lightning-fast punch towards the red fighter's torso.

The red contestant merely tilted his body to the side – effectively dodging the blue fighter's punch – and delivered an open-palmed strike against his opponent's jaw. The blue competitor staggered backwards from the force of the blow and the red competitor darted forward delivering two more successive blows to the blue fighter's chest and stomach, causing him to double forward in pain.

"Point!"

Not giving his opponent a chance to recover, the competitor in red shifted his weight and snapped the heel of his foot up, catching the blue fighter in the chest and sending him flying across the mat.

"Point!"

The crowed watched with baited breathe as the blue fighter struggled to get back up. When it was clear he couldn't, the referee took a step forward and yelled, "Stop! Match over! The winner of the Male Welter Division is the Red Contestant, Yeong Tae-Il!"

The spectators burst into applause and yelling as Tae-Il relaxed out of his stance and bowed once to his opponent and once more to the judges.

"Incredible! Yeong Tae-Il truly is a prodigy of Taekwondo! That match was over in just over a minute ladies and gentlemen! Truly a sight to behold…" The announcer paused before continuing animatedly, "The next division match will occur in exactly ten minutes and will determine the Female Welter Division winner! Will it be four-time champion Haruto Suzuna? Or will the dark horse, Fiona Strong take this year's gold?! One thing's for sure, ladies and gents… the next match will be just as exciting and unforgettable as the last one! Stay tuned!"

 **II.**

"…-ttable as the last one! Stay tuned!"

Sawada Tsunayoshi peered intently at his smart phone, the words 'World Taekwondo Junior Championship' flashing briefly across the screen. He was sitting on the bleachers in the gymnasium of the Namimori Middle School campus, phone in hand, and watching the recorded competition while the rest of his classmates were cleaning up the various sporting equipment and tools used in their most recent physical education class.

It had been a basketball game.

Tsuna felt extremely lucky that he had been delegated to be the scorecard holder and didn't actually participate in the game.

He wasn't all that athletic and felt that he would have made the team he was on lose. Horribly.

"Oi, Sawada!" The call of his classmate had the brunet jerking his head up in surprise.

"Y-Yes?"

"We've finished gathering all the stuff together… could you wheel everything back to storage? The rest of us have to go get changed."

Tsuna nodded his head and stuffed his phone into his pocket. "Sure, I don't mind."

"Thanks." Before the student left, he turned and faced the brunet once more. "Yeong won that latest martial arts competition, right?"

Tsuna grinned and nodded once more. "Yeah! He won gold in his division!"

"Man that guy… rich, good-looking, smart, _and_ he's a martial artist? The rest of us can't keep up with a guy like that…" There wasn't any heat in the student's words, just exasperation and wonder. "Anyway, just give him my congratulations, okay?"

"Will do!"

"Thanks, see ya, Sawada."

Tsuna waved lightly as his classmate turned and began walking towards the Boy's Locker room. Once alone, the brunet also turned and grabbed a hold of the cart full of basketballs nearest him before wheeling it towards the storage and equipment room located on the far side of the gym.

' _Tae-Il is really incredible,'_ he thought with a proud smile, _'this is his second Junior Championship win!'_

"Penny for your thoughts, Tsuna?" The smooth voice broke the brunet from his thoughts and he whirled around to see the smiling face of Tae-Il. Tae-Il was taller than Tsuna – a year older too - standing at an impressive five feet seven inches, and had messy, windswept teal-colored hair and golden eyes which were looking at the brunet with fondness and amusement.

"T-Tae-Il!" Tsuna placed a hand over his racing heart and stared at the other teen. "You scared me!"

Tae-Il chuckled and leaned forward. "Sorry, sorry… I just couldn't help myself… you gave me the perfect opportunity, Tsuna!"

Tsuna's lips quirked into a smile before he responded, "… You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days, you know that right?"

Tae-Il shrugged and said, "Well, then, it's a good thing I know CPR for when that day comes." Tsuna let out a laugh at that comment and continued to put away the equipment and uniforms his class has just used. "Let me help you, Tsuna. Four hands are faster than two!"

"Thanks, Tae-Il!" As the two worked together, Tsuna couldn't help but say, "Congratulations on your win, Tae-Il!"

A pleased smile blossomed on the taller teen's face. "Thank you, Tsuna. I'm glad all my hard work and training is paying off."

"When's the next time you'll practice taekwondo?"

Tae-Il huffed out a laugh. "More like, when's the next time I'm _not_ practicing? You know how busy my schedule is, Tsuna. This week _alone_ I have: three training sessions for taekwondo, four for taekkyeon, and one for aikido. Plus, I have a Kyudo club meeting today and a private lesson scheduled for this weekend and I have to go to cram school every day this week since I missed a few days last week thanks to the Junior Championship."

"It must be tiring, having so many things to do…"

"Honestly? I enjoy keeping busy and doing all these things…," Tae-Il paused before adding in a softer tone, "the only thing I don't like about being so busy is that I can't hang out with you as much as I'd like…"

"Ah, I don't mind, Tae-Il! I know that you try your best to hang out with me and I appreciate all that you've done – and are doing – for me!"

"Tsuna… thanks, hearing you say that makes me feel a lot better."

"That's what friends are for, right? Anyway, now that we're done putting everything away, let's get going! We're still going to hang out at my house, right?"

"Of course, I-" The teal-haired teen is interrupted when his cell phone suddenly vibrates in his pocket with a notification. Deftly, Tae-Il brings it out, swipes in his password, and reads through the text message sent to him. A grimace appeared on his face and Tsuna deflates in resignation.

"Something came up, right?" It's a statement not a question.

Tae-Il flinched at the dejected expression on the brunet's face and nods solemnly. "Yeah… I'm _really_ sorry, Tsuna, but I have to go."

Tsuna sighs before flashing an understanding smile at the taller teen. "It's okay… maybe we can hang out next time…?"

"Of course! Definitely!" The other teen nods his head determinedly. "And I'll _absolutely_ make it up to you, Tsuna!"

"I know you will… you always do."

The golden-eyed teen grimaced once more before moving forward and clapping Tsuna on the shoulder. "… Thanks, Tsuna… believe me when I say that you're a great friend…"

Tsuna smiles once more. "I do believe you… now hurry up or you'll be late!"

Tae-Il returns Tsuna's smile before jogging off with a wave and a yell of, "See you tomorrow, Tsuna!"

The brunet let out a laugh and waved back, watching as the older teen left the gymnasium. He lets out a fond sigh before shaking his head and turning to pick up his school bag. Oh well… perhaps Kyoya would like to hang out with him for a while?

 **II.**

Tsuna isn't surprise when one Hibari Kyoya turns down the brunet's offer. Despite being the – very distant – cousin of Tae-Il, the two couldn't be any more different in terms of personality. While Tae-Il was friendly to most people, Kyoya couldn't stand being surrounding by more than two people.

"Three is crowding… remember that, Small Animal," he had explained, years ago.

"Oh well, sorry for bothering you, Kyoya." Before he leaves, Tsuna asks, "Will you be going to the family meeting? Since you and Tae-Il are cousins and all."

Kyoya shakes his head. "No, the meeting is about the Carnivore's side of the family, I think there's been death."

"Oh… I hope Tae-Il will be okay…"

Kyoya didn't respond, instead, the second-year student reaches out a hand and ruffles Tsuna's sienna locks as if to say, _I wouldn't worry about him_.

"… Thanks, Kyoya," Tsuna smiles brightly at the dark-haired teen.

The corner of Kyoya's mouth twitches upwards for a moment, before his face smoothes back into an impassive mask. "… Get going, Small Animal, loitering on campus afterschool is not permitted."

"Right," Tsuna says with a chuckle, "I'll see you later then, Kyoya!"

 **III.**

Tae-Il knocked on the front door of the Sawada household, the next morning.

"Good morning, Tae-kun! Are you here for Tsu-kun?" Sawada Nana, a pretty woman who had the same coloring as her son – meaning soft, brown hair and eyes - answered the door with a sunny smile.

Tae-Il nodded in response. "Good morning, Sawada-san and yes, is Tsuna up yet?"

"I'm sorry to say that you _just_ missed him, Tae-kun." Nana placed a hand against her cheek and tiled her head. "He left about ten minutes ago, he said that he would meet up with you at the convenience store down the block."

A frown flashes across the teal-haired teen's mouth before it's replaced with a genial smile. "Really? Thank you, Sawada-san. If you'll excuse me." With a short bow, Tae-Il turns and begins walking down the street. As he turns the corner, his smile falls away and he frowns in worry and concern.

He had _just_ walked past the convenience store Nana mentioned and there was no sign of the brunet, which is why he walked further down the street and to the Sawada household.

His grip on his school bag tightens and his pace quickens as he began to think about all the things that could have happened to Tsuna.

Getting lost or mugged or kidnapped. Getting hit by a car or a delivery truck. Tripping and knocking himself unconscious – which _had_ happened before, when the two of them were kids.

Death.

That last thought has the taekwondo practitioner sprinting down the street, eyes alert and quickly glancing down every alleyway and sewer drain and into every car he runs by.

Tsuna could be in trouble.

Tsuna could be hurt.

Tsuna could be _dead_.

A snarl rips itself from Tae-Il's throat as his eyes flash in anger. If _anything_ has happened to the brunet, Tae-Il will make them _pay_!

He turns the corner connecting the street he's own to the street running in front of Namimori Middle, and abruptly freezes in place.

Tsuna.

Gate.

Tsuna is standing by the school gates.

He's fine.

He's perfectly fine, albeit, glancing around nervously.

Tae-Il takes a moment to smooth out the wrinkles in his shirt then plasters on a blinding smile, and makes his way towards the brunet.

"Tsuna, good morning! It's rare to see you at school so early!" While the words he spoke were light-hearted and casual, the tightness around his smile betrayed his true thoughts.

 _Why didn't you wait for me to walk you to school? Did something happen?_

Tsuna jumps in surprise at the voice of Tae-Il and smiles shakily back. "T-Tae-Il… g-good morning…"

 _Yes, something did happen and I don't know what to do!_

Tae-Il levels a look at Tsuna that screams, _Tell me_.

Tsuna starts to speak, but then his eyes catch sight something behind the teal-haired teen and the brunet promptly clamps his mouth shut, shaking his head with wide eyes. Tae-Il spins around, one arm extended in front of the younger teen while the other lets go of his school bag and his feet slanting into a martial arts stance. Golden eyes sharply survey the other side of the street, but spot no sign of danger or bullies or the like.

In fact, the only people on the other side of the street are fellow classmates who glance curiously at Tae-Il before going back to whatever it was they were doing.

Tae-Il looks around for a moment longer before turning back to face the brunet. " _Tell me_ ," he commands in a strict voice.

Tsuna shakes his head once more. "I… I… I-It's nothing, T-Tae-Ill…!"

" _Bullshit_. Something – or someone – has got you rattled, Tsuna. Tell me who it is."

"N-No! I-It's o-okay… really!"

"It's not, 'okay', Tsuna! Something's bothering you! Tell me what – or who – it is!"

"I-It's okay, Tae-Il! I-I can han-handle it myself!"

The anger and protectiveness and frustration builds in Tae-Il's golden eyes and his shoulders tense for a heartbeat before relaxing suddenly. "… As your friend, I want to help you, Tsuna," Tae-Il says softly, gently, switching tactics to get the brunet to speak. "How can I do that if you don't tell me what's wrong?"

Tsuna grips the strap of his school bag and is silent for a moment. "I… I know you just want to help me, Tae-Il… but…," he looks up suddenly with determined eyes, "… I can handle this… I promise."

Tae-Il grits his teeth in frustration, the anger blooming once more in his eyes. "I can _help_ you Tsuna! Just tell me who's bothering you and Kyoya and I can-"

"Trust me." Those words bring up the taller teen short and he clamps his mouth with an audible clink of his teeth.

Aggravated gold stares into resolute brown.

After a moment, Tae-Il lets out a deep sigh – his body relaxing fully now – as the older teen stoops down to pick up his fallen school bag. "… Alright," he begins after a pause, "I'll trust you to handle… whatever it is that's going on, but!" He levels a stern gaze at Tsuna. "If you need _anything_ , _call me, okay_?"

Tsuna smiles up at the taller teen. "I will. I promise."

Tae-Il holds Tsuna's gaze for a moment longer before he returns Tsuna grin with one of his own. "Did you eat breakfast yet, Tsuna? Your mother said that you left a lot earlier than normal."

The brunet lets out a sheepish chuckle. "No… not yet… I was kinda in a rush this morning…"

The teal-haired teen lets out a hum before rummaging through his bag. "Hold on… here you go." He hands Tsuna a packaged pastry. "I stopped by the convenience by your house earlier and bought a few… it's a good thing I did too!"

"Thanks, Tae-Il!" Tsuna gratefully accepts the snack and smiles brightly.

"It's no trouble, Tsuna… although, youought to eat it now before Kyoya spots you. He'll still 'bite you to death' for eating outside of lunch hour, even though you've known him for a while, and he'll 'bite me to death' for giving you food outside of lunch hour, even though we're cousins."

Tsuna lets out a laugh. "Well, you know how serious he is about rules and rule-breakers."

"You don't have to remind me…," Tae-Il mutters with a roll of his eyes, "I still remember the first time we met… he tried 'punish' me for having 'dyed' hair when it's _obvious_ that my hair color is completely natural!"

"Haha… can you really blame him though? Not many people have naturally _teal_ hair, you know."

"I blame all that on my family's weird genetics… unusual hair coloring is perfectly normal in the Yeong clan! He knew that even before we first met!"

"Perhaps he just wanted an excuse to fight with you?"

Tae-Il lets out an exasperated sigh. "You know what? That sounds exactly like something he'd do… honestly… he could have just outright _asked_ to spar with me! I wouldn't have said no!"

Tsuna lets out another laugh at the slightly irate – but utterly fond – expression on his friend's face before waving goodbye to the older teen and making his way towards the first year classrooms.

 **IV.**

As Tsuna enters his classroom and takes his seat, the brunet's mind wanders to what happened yesterday and this morning.

He balls his hands up in resolution.

He wouldn't rely on Tae-Il for this.

He would get stronger on his own.

And he would protect his friend from the Mafia.

 **Well, looky here yet** _ **another**_ **KHR OC fanfiction! I really should stop making so many OCs but when inspiration hits you just gotta write it down, yeah?**

 **It's hard to differentiate when capital and lowercase lettering, but this OC's name is spelt: tae-il, the last two letters are I and L.**

 **Let me know what you all think and I hope you enjoyed this!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I.**

"Remember that your final drafts are due in two days everyone! Please don't forget!" The teacher's words were soon drowned out by the sound of the final bell ringing – signaling the end of the school day.

As his fellow classmates began congregating around one another and making plans on whose house to hang out at or where they wanted to grab a snack at, Sawada Tsunayoshi began to gather up his things.

While the brunet was on friendly-enough terms with the rest of his class, he really didn't have anyone he would consider a 'friend' among his year-mates.

' _What does it say about me that my only two friends are not only older than me, but are also super strong and overprotective about the things they care about…?'_ Tsuna thought with a snort, grabbing his schoolbag and slinging it over his shoulder.

As the first-year made his way out of Class 1-A, his eyes settled on the familiar form of Yeong Tae-Il, who was standing at the far end of the corridor. At the sight of his friend, Tsuna's mind couldn't help but wander back to what had occurred yesterday afternoon when he returned home.

 **II.**

"I'm home!" Tsuna called out, closing the front door with a soft _click_.

"Ah! Welcome back, Tsu-kun!" Sawada Nana appeared from the entry-way leading into the kitchen with a sunny smile. "How was school?"

Tsuna bent over and removed his shoes before slipping on a pair of house shoes. "It was fine. We got the tests back from Ueda-sensei and I did pretty well actually!"

"Wow! I knew you could do it, Tsu-kun!" Nana clapped her hands in joy. "… I think we should celebrate! What would you like to eat tonight?"

The brunet moved deeper into his house, stopping just shy from his mother. "Hmmm," Tsuna tilted his head in thought. "How about bulgogi? Tae-Il's mother made some the last time I went to his house and it was delicious!"

"Okay! I think I still have the recipe that Ji-ae gave me… I'm going to go out to buy the ingredients, then! I'll be back soon!"

Tsuna nodded his head. "Okay, be safe."

Right before his mother left, she turned around and said, "Oh! I almost forgot! I hired a home tutor for you, Tsu-kun!"

"Okay, that's- … Wait, what?"

"I received this interesting flyer in the mail today that promised that this home tutor would, 'transform your child into someone who would lead the next generation!' … Incredible, right?"

The brunet teen was silent for a moment before deadpanning, "… That sounds like a scam, Okaa-san."

"Eh?! R-Really?"

"Yes…" Tsuna nodded. "Besides, my grades – while they aren't the worst – are pretty okay and consistent thanks to Tae-Il helping me so; do I really need another tutor?"

Nana placed her hand on her face in a thoughtful manner. "That's true… I guess I just got so excited about your future that I forgot that you really don't need the extra help…"

"It's fine, Okaa-san. You go to the store; I'll talk to this home tutor and tell him that we don't require his service."

"Thank you, Tsu-kun! Well then… I'll be back!"

Tsuna waved as his mother left the house before turning and making his way up the stairs and into his bedroom.

With a sigh, the brunet flopped ungracefully onto his bed, his limbs splayed everywhere. Tsuna burrowed his face into his pillow and let out a sigh of relaxation.

"… Sawada Tsunayoshi. Age 14. A first-year student at Namimori Middle School. Grades, average. Athletic skills, poor. Social skills, poor. Ambition in life, none… Looks like my work is cut out for me."

The unknown voice had Tsuna jerking upwards in shock and he swiveled his head to gaze fearfully at the stranger in his room. "W-Who are y-you?! And how did you get in here?!"

"My name is Reborn, and I'm your new home tutor." The diminutive tutor stood in the middle of Tsuna's room – which the brunet _knew_ was empty just moments ago – dressed in a pressed suit and holding a large briefcase in one hand.

"Y-You're a- my-?!" Tsuna caught himself and closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly; the advice given to him, when they were younger, by Tae-Il ringing in his head.

" _The key to staying calm in any situation is to remember to breathe, Tsuna."_

Tsuna opened his eyes and gazed calmly at the – Child-like? Just short? – tutor before him.

"… It's nice to meet you, Reborn. My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi – as I'm sure you already know – and I want to apologize for your journey here; unfortunately, Okaa-san and I no longer require your services as my home tutor."

Reborn doesn't respond for a minute, merely observing the teen sitting before him. "… Is this because of one Yeong Tae-Il," he asks after a few moments of silence.

Tsuna jerks back – surprised at the question – and asks, "H-How did you know that?"

Reborn smirks and allows his fedora to cast an ominous shadow over his face. "Masking one's presence is child's play when one is a hitman of my caliber."

"… I-I'm sorry… did you j-just say, 'hitman'…?" All pretense of calmness is gone from the brunet's expression.

"I did." Reborn says with a nod, setting down his briefcase and opening it. "My being your home tutor is just a cover-story for my _real_ purpose here." He kneels down and ruffles through the briefcase. "I am actually here to transform you into the next Boss of the Vongola, which is the strongest Mafia Family in the world." He stands and gestures towards Tsuna, a large automatic rifle in hand.

" _The key to staying calm in any situation is to remember to breathe, Tsuna."_

Tsuna tries to breath – really, he does – but when there's a fucking _gun_ pointing at your face – in your own _bedroom_ nonetheless – it can be a little difficult to do so.

"W-W-WHAT?!" He screams after floundering and gaping like a fish for a good five minutes. "A-A WHAT?!"

Reborn makes an unimpressed sound and moves the gun away from Tsuna. "A good Mafia Boss does not let something as commonplace as a _gun_ freak him out."

"Th-That's…! I-I haven't even _seen_ a g-gun in re-real life before!"

"That's something that we will remedy, I promise you that." The words were uttered in such a manner that it caused Tsuna to shiver violently in fear and dread. He watched with wide eyes as Reborn put the gun away and began to look around the brunet's bedroom with a critical eye.

' _W-Wh-What's going on?! A-Am I dreaming?! Th-This can't be real! I-I ca-can't- I'm not-!'_ As the brunet's panic began to increase, because he didn't believe a single word this – Child? – person was speaking, his eyes landed on his schoolbag which was lying next to him on his bed.

Tae-Il.

He had to call Tae-Il.

The older teen would know what to do and – if worse came to worse – he would chase away this – Not-Child, who walked and held himself the way Tae-Il and Kyoya did – person from Tsuna and then everything would go back to normal and he could forget this whole thing happened.

"Going to run to Tae-Il like you do for everything, _Dame_ -Tsuna?"

The utterance of his old nickname caused Tsuna to stiffen in shock and stilled his hand which was hovering just inches above his schoolbag. The brunet turned his head mechanically to face Reborn. "… What?"

Reborn shrugged lightly and blithely said, "Have you never wondered _why_ people stopped calling you, 'Dame-Tsuna'? It wasn't because of your – miniscule – academic improvement, like you so naively believed… it was because your… friend was going around and intimidating, and in some cases beating up, the people who mocked and bullied you."

"T-Tae-Il wouldn't…" The protest died in the teen's throat as his mind began to work and think.

It was… unusual that the people who used to bully and belittle him stopped doing so after his friendship with the teal-haired teen. Tsuna had brushed it off as them maturing and realizing the error of their ways, but…

Didn't everyone treat him a bit differently now?

With a startling revelation, Tsuna recalled the overly-polite way that everyone seemed to treat him with nowadays.

His classmates who always made sure to assign him the less physically-taxing job or position, who would only talk to him about homework or to offer their congratulations for something that Tae-Il did or won; his former bullies who always seemed to turn around and walk away whenever Tsuna caught sight of them; his teachers who never called on him to answer impossible questions anymore; the other people in town who only recently began to treat the brunet kindly and with respect.

All of them changed after he met and befriended Yeong Tae-Il.

"… It could all just be a massive coincidence…" The excuse was flimsy, at best, and Reborn knew it.

" _Sure_ ," the hitman drawled. "The entire town begins to stop tormenting you at the same time you befriend someone from the famous Yeong clan who has familial ties with the powerful Hibari clan is all just some gigantic coincident… _right_."

"S-So what…? Tae-Il is still my friend… and I'm happy that everyone starting treating me better!"

"But it wasn't _you_ or your actions that changed their minds. It was always Tae-Il and the fear and respect that they have for _him_."

Tsuna flinched at those words and cast his eyes downwards.

That was…

The room was silent for a moment before Reborn said, "… It's a good thing that you have someone so loyal to you already, Dame-Tsuna. Especially considering that he's a potential Heir to the Yeong clan and brings along the strength of the Hibari clan as a bonus. However," he leveled a stern gaze at the brunet, "you have been living in his shadow and under his protection for far too long. Don't you want to change people's minds and opinions about you on your own? Don't _you_ want to be the one to support and protect him for once?"

Tsuna's eyes snapped up to the hitman.

"I do."

The words were out before Tsuna even had a chance to think.

A smirk appeared on Reborn's face. "Good. Then I'll train you to become a person who can do that, someone who is strong enough to properly care for their Family."

"… But… I don't want to join the Mafia…"

"The Mafia is the _only_ way, the only chance, you have to get stronger, Dame-Tsuna. Without the Mafia, you'll forever rely on Tae-Il."

Tsuna closed his eyes for a moment and _breathed_.

"… Then I'll join the Mafia; to get stronger and to protect Tae-Il."

 **III.**

That conversation had happened yesterday, and even now, Tsuna still felt the conviction and resolution of his decision flowing throughout his body.

"Hey, Tsuna… ready to go?" Tae-Il had an easy-going smile on and his eyes were filled with fondness.

" _The key to staying calm in any situation is to remember to breathe, Tsuna."_

Tsuna took a deep breath, smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah… let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

**I.**

"Class, we have a new transfer student joining us today… You can come in now."

Sawada Tsunayoshi watched as a silver-haired teen with green eyes walked through the doors of the classroom before coming to a stop next to the teacher.

"This is Gokudera Hayato, he just moved here from Italy and I expect you all to help him settle down and get used to Namimori, okay?" After the class replied, the teacher nodded and glanced about the room. "Alright then, your seat will be next to- Gokudera-kun? Where are you going? Wait… don't-!"

Gokudera Hayato ignored the teacher's warnings and stalked over to Tsuna's desk before glaring down at the brunet. The silver-haired teen raised a leg and kicked the desk, sending it clattering to the ground before he continued down the aisle and took a seat at the back of the classroom.

The classroom was dead silent.

The teacher coughed nervously, loosening his tie a bit, before shuffling some papers on his podium. "W-Well then… sh-shall we all g-get started…?" He turned and wrote on the board with a trembling hand. "P-Please turn your books to page two-hundred and three…"

 **II.**

As soon as the final bell rang, signaling the end of school, Tsuna was dragged from his desk and out the door by a _very_ irate and disgusted-looking transfer student.

The rest of the class watched wordlessly as the brunet was dragged away, before they all turned to face one another.

"… Wh… What should we do?" One student asked, breaking the tense atmosphere.

"Tch… We shouldn't get involved… the new kid will realize soon enough what'll happen when you touch Sawada."

"If…," another student began hesitantly, "If Tsunayoshi-kun get's in-injured… w-wouldn't _we_ get in t-trouble al-also…? Because we s-saw Gokudera-kun take him a-away and we didn't s-say or d-do anything ab-about it…?"

The classroom falls silent once more, then the remaining students all rush towards the doors.

"T-Tae-Il-sempai should be on the s-second floor, right?!"

"Doesn't that guy have kyudo practice today?! Or was it karate?!"

"No! He practices taekwondo remember?!"

"Ma-Maybe Hibari-sempai would kn-know where he is…?"

"Like _hell_ we're gonna be able to do that! We would get bitten to death for even trying!"

"We need to split up then! Half of us will look upstairs; the other half will look at the clubrooms!"

"O-Okay!"

"Right!"

 **III.**

Gokudera tossed the Tsuna to the ground. As the brunet scrambled to his feet, the silver-haired teen withdrew a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a drag in one smooth motion.

The two were in a field located behind the school, next to the Namimori River and a hiking trail.

Green eyes scanned the brunet up-and-down. "… What a pathetic sight you are," Gokudera growled out – a slight accent tainting his words – as he dropped the cigarette and dug his heel into it.

Tsuna nervously glanced around the field. "Wh-What? I-I'm sorry but… I believe this is the first time we've m-met?"

Gokudera scowled and took a step forward. "Tch… I can't believe a guy like you is supposed to be the Vongola Heir… I can't accept it!"

"H… How do you know about that?! I-It's only been _one day_ since I learned about it!"

"Does it matter? All you need to know is that I've come to claim the Vongola as my own!" Gokudera reached into his pockets and withdrew a handful of dynamite. "Disappear, Weakling!" He twisted his wrists and launched the explosives at the brunet.

Tsuna let out a shriek of terror before back-pedaling away from the dynamite. When they exploded, the blast blew the brunet off his feet. Quickly, Tsuna tucked and shifted his body so that the momentum from the blast threw him into a roll instead of just sending him flying.

' _Th-Thank goodness Tae-Il t-taught me the basics of falling and rolling.'_ Tsuna thought gratefully as he hurriedly got back to his feet.

"W-W-Wait a moment!" Tsuna cried, throwing up his hands. "Wh-Why are you attacking me?!"

Gokudera growled and took out more explosives from his person. "So you're an idiot along with being weak? Figures…" he ground out, eyes glaring harshly at the brunet. "I'm going to kill you so that way I can be the Vongola Heir!"

"Th-That sounds impossible! A-Aren't only those with V-Vongola blood allowed to b-be the Heir? A-Are you even _related_ to the Vongola?!"

"I don't fucking care! I will destroy you, Bastard!" With that said, the silver-haired teen threw the dynamite in his hands at Tsuna.

Tsuna let out another yell and jumped to the side – successfully evading the explosion next to him.

Gokudera flung more bombs.

The brunet dodged more explosions.

Furious, the transfer student began throwing even _more_ sticks of dynamite at Tsuna. "Stay still you bastard!"

"I-I'm not going to _let_ myself be blown up!" Tsuna ducked under some bombs, falling to his knees for a moment, before scrambling back up and running away from the silver-haired teen.

"Tch… running away are you? Like I'd let you do that!"

As Tsuna ran away, he thought despairingly, _'Wh-What do I do?! I can't fight someone like him! I'd die!'_

"A competent Mafia Boss does not run away from a fight, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn appeared suddenly next to the brunet, who nearly cried in relief at the sight of the hitman.

"R-Reborn! Pl-Please help me!"

Reborn scoffed and leveled his gun at Tsuna, who froze in fear. "If you can't even solve this simple problem-"

"You call this ' _a simple problem'_?!" Tsuna screeched in disbelief.

"-then perhaps you never will be better than Tae-Il… Die."

Reborn pulled the trigger.

A gunshot.

A body falling.

An orange flame and a cry of, "REBORN!" followed soon after.

 **IV.**

Tsuna's body felt like it was pure _fire_ and there was something hot and scorching and boiling flowing in his veins and across his skin and over his eyes and under his nails and there was a burning desire to do, to _act_ , and he turned his head and looked around for _something_ that he had to do, to finish, and spotted-

Glowing orange eyes locked onto green.

Tsuna knew what he had to do.

"DEFEAT GOKUDERA HAYATO WITH MY DYING WILL!"

 **V.**

A well-placed punch was all it took for Tsuna to defeat Gokudera – although the silver-haired teen had put up a struggle and managed to keep the brunet at bay for a few minutes by utilizing his explosives as a sort of buffer.

Tsuna let out a shaky sigh as the orange flame on his head flickered once, twice, then dissipating in a wisp of smoke. He slowly sunk to his knees, body suddenly sore and aching, as he peered at the prone form of Gokudera, on the ground in front of the brunet.

"A… Are you okay…?" Tsuna asked when it became clear that the transfer student wouldn't be talking anytime soon.

Gokudera was silent for a moment before he suddenly sat up with worshipping eyes. "Th-That's was _incredible_! I was completely wrong! You are the best candidate to be the next Vongola Heir, Tenth!"

Tsuna gaped at the seemingly 180 Gokudera's personality did. "H-Huh?!"

The other teen quickly got to his feet and bowed deeply before Tsuna. "Please forgive my brashness earlier! I didn't mean to injure you so!"

The brunet chuckled nervously before asking, "I-I… guess it's fine…? W-Why were you trying to be the next Vongola Heir, anyway? From what I understand, only those with Vongola blood can inherit the title…"

"Oh…" Shame colored the silver-haired teen's face as he looked downwards. "The truth is… I knew that even if I could defeat you, that I wouldn't be able to become the next Vongola Boss."

"Then why…?"

"It's because I heard that the Vongola Heir was the same age as me and I wanted to see what kind of person would be taking over such a powerful Family… at first I thought you were completely weak and useless, but, now I know differently! You are _strong_ , Tenth! Strong enough to take over the Vongola!"

Something fluttered in Tsuna at being labeled 'strong' and he ducked his head with a small smile. "You… you really think I'm strong?"

Gokudera nodded his head enthusiastically. "Of course! You are, without a doubt, the strongest person in the world!"

Tsuna laughed, a happy and pure sound. "Ha! I wouldn't go _that_ far… but… thank you, Gokudera-kun… you are the first person to ever tell me that I'm 'strong'."

Even Tae-Il had never called him that.

"T-Tenth… I-!"

" _Tsuna!_ " The smooth voice caused the brunet's head to whip around in shock and dread. His eyes fell upon the out-of-breath form of Tae-Il.

"T-Tae-Il…!"

Yeong Tae-Il's face was scarily _blank_ and Tsuna knew that he had screwed up… _big time_.

He quickly got to his feet and flailed his arms around, trying to articulate what his words were unable to say. "T-T-Tae-Il! It's not… I-I'm not… I-It's o-okay! _I'm_ okay! G-Gokudera-kun didn't m-mean to-!" Tsuna's protests were immediately silenced when positively _livid_ golden-eyes fell on the brunet's battered, bruised, and scantily-clad body.

A heartbeat passed.

Then two.

Then suddenly, Gokudera Hayato was on the ground once more, this time with a bleeding – and definitely broken – nose and the tensed form of the Tae-Il looming over the silver-haired teen.

A foot _slammed_ down onto Gokudera's chest and he let out a pained, strangled gasp; one of his hands moving upwards to try and staunch the blood-flow from his face, while the other feebly grasped at Tae-Il's ankle.

"Y-You bastard…!" Gokudera ground out harshly, his voice slightly muffled by his hand.

"… No… _you_ bastard." The teal-haired teen's voice was calm – eerily so – and it was only Tae-Il's years of training and discipline that kept his body from shaking in pure anger and rage. "I don't know what the _fuck_ happened and frankly, _I don't care_. All I see is, all I need to know, is that my best friend is injured and that you are the responsible party…"

"T-Tae-Il! I-It's not-!" Once again, the brunet's words were cut off when the older teen glared angrily at him, betrayal and protectiveness lacing his golden eyes.

Tae-Il held Tsuna's gaze for a moment, before turning his attention back to the silver-haired teen underneath his foot.

"… I'll tell you how things are run around here, since you are so obviously new and all…" Tae-Il leaned forward, placing more pressure on the Gokudera's chest and drawing out another strained gasp of pain. "Sawada Tsunayoshi is under _my_ protection – and by extension, the protection of the entire Hibari and Yeong clans… what you just did to him is quite… _unacceptable_. You have just brought down the wrath of over four-hundred trained martial artists and fighters on you… but," the taekwondo practitioner _slammed_ his other foot down on the Gokudera's wrist – there was a loud and audible _crack_ – which had been inching its' way into a pocket on the younger teen's pants, "You needn't worry about them… _I_ will make sure that you pay for your transgressions."

"T-Tae-Il…!"

The teal-haired teen raised his foot – the one that had been steadily applying a painful amount of pressure on silver-haired teen's chest – and _slammed_ it back down.

Another gasp.

"Tae-Il!"

Another raise.

Another slam.

"It seems like you favor the usage of explosives – if the burn marks on your hands and Tsuna is any indication… I wonder if I can cause the same injuries using _just_ my hands…?"

Another raise.

Another slam.

A shout of pain this time.

Another raise.

Another slam-

"TAE-IL!" Tsuna lurched forward and grabbed a hold of his friend's arm – yanking it roughly. " _Please stop_!"

The older teen allowed the brunet to tug him backwards – and subsequently off Gokudera – but shook Tsuna's hand off after being pulled back a few feet.

Tae-Il closed his eyes and took in a deep, sharp breath before exhaling loudly. His muscles were loosed and relaxed now – a far cry from the poised and coiled state they were just in, reminding Tsuna of a predator ready to strike. After a few minutes of silence, Tae-Il opened his eyes and pinned Tsuna with a biting glare.

"… I gave you a chance, Tsuna," Tae-Il murmured in a dangerously soft voice, "a chance to solve whatever you had gotten yourself into, but… I can't just sit by and watch you get hurt when I can – or could have - done something about it!"

Tsuna stared at his friend with a remorseful expression. "Tae-Il…"

The older teen moved forward and grasped Tsuna's shoulders. " _Tell me_ … tell me what the fuck is going on, Tsuna!"

 **VI.**

"I…"

For a heartbeat, Tsuna wonders just how far he can fly with Tae-Il by his side… For a heartbeat, Tsuna wants to tell, wants the reassurance and protection and unquestionable safety that his friend will provide… For a heartbeat, Tsuna is about to tell Tae-Il – his _best friend_ – everything… but he doesn't.

He can't and he won't.

Instead, the brunet takes a deep breath and exhales slowly – _"The key to staying calm in any situation is to remember to breathe, Tsuna."_ – and flashes Tae-Il a reassuring smile, one the older teen doesn't buy if the narrowing of his golden-eyes is any indication.

"… It's nothing you need to worry about, Tae-Il." Tsuna's proud that his voice doesn't waver, doesn't break, as he speaks.

Tae-Il draws his hands back as if he had been burned and a cool masks slips on the teal-haired teen's face. His body is relaxed and calm yet, his gaze is unreadable and for a second Tsuna wonders if this is the calm before the storm – the moment when Tae-Il will finally _snap_ and unleash his true anger on Gokudera and then onto him and-

Tae-Il takes a single step back and turns around swiftly in one smooth, fluid motion.

He walks away without saying a word.

* * *

 **Wow, it's been five years since I last wrote a Dying Will Mode persona…**

 **Hope you all enjoyed and please let me know what you all thought!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I.**

"Fight me."

The words were spoken without preamble and Hibari Kyoya obliged his cousin after a moment's pause, darting forward with a blood-thirsty grin on his face. His tonfa slid into his hands when he was a foot away from Tae-Il and the prefect arched one arm up – aiming for the teal-haired teen's face – while his other arm shot out towards Tae-Il's stomach.

Tae-Il shifted his body and tilted his head to the side, evading Hibari's initial strike, while one of the taekwondo practitioner's hands caught the tonfa aimed at his abdomen. Tae-Il slid his right foot forward – hooking it around Hibari's left ankle – and pulling it forward, causing the dark-haired teen to go pitching backwards. Tae-Il placed his free arm on his cousin's chest and pushed, further moving the other towards the ground.

Hibari scowled lightly before slamming down his free tonfa on Tae-Il's left shoulder, _hard_ , and simultaneously bringing up his unhindered foot and kicking his cousin in the stomach. Tae-Il let out a grunt of pain from the blows to his shoulder and stomach and released his grip on the Namimori Prefect before moving backwards and putting some distance between the two of them. Hibari shot forward once more and Tae-Il swung up his right leg, rotating his hips as he did so, his foot sailing towards Hibari's head.

Hibari merely brought up his left tonfa in response and blocked the kick before his right tonfa shot out and connected with Tae-Il's side. Tae-Il clenched his teeth and let out a hiss before grabbing a hold of his cousin's right arm, pushing off the ground with his left leg and snapping that foot into the prefect's chin – causing Hibari to stagger backwards, before flipping nimbly in the air and landing in a light crouch.

The teal-haired teen then launched himself forward and delivered three successive strikes on Hibari's chest and abdomen. He dropped suddenly to the ground and aimed a low-kick at his cousin's legs, trying to sweep Hibari's feet out from under him. Unfortunately for him, the dark-haired teen simply leapt up and over Tae-Il's head before twisting his body mid-air and lashing out with his own kick aimed at Tae-Il's back.

The taekwondo practitioner threw a hand on the ground and pitched his weight forward, causing his body to go lurching into a one-hand hand-stand. He arched his back, angled his legs, and landed on his feet before straightening and turning around in one smooth motion. Regrettably, the split-second it took the teal-haired teen to turn gave Hibari more than enough time to rush forward and slam both his tonfa into Tae-Il's stomach. Hard.

Tae-Il let out a gasp of pain, as the wind was knocked out of him, and he took a step back from the sheer force of Hibari's blow. The Namimori Prefect didn't let up, however, and deftly twisted his wrist and brought one of his arms up, slamming a tonfa into Tae-Il's chin while the other tonfa slammed into Tae-Il's stomach once more. Hibari then rotated his body around, bringing up a foot and planting it onto his cousin's chest, before pushingoff and sending Tae-Il flying backwards.

Tae-Il angled his body to land harshly on his shoulder instead of his back and tried to hurriedly get back to his feet, only to freeze when a tonfa was pressed roughly against his throat. He peered up through his bangs to see Hibari standing over his crouched form, a slight smirk dancing across the prefect's lips.

Hibari tilted his head lightly and said, "Hn… I win this round."

Tae-Il clenched his fist, shoulders hunching forward for a moment, before his body suddenly went lax and he let out a deep sigh. "… Your win, Kyoya." He acquiesced, standing once his cousin withdrew his tonfa, the paired weapons sliding back into the prefect's clothes.

The teal-haired teen raised his arms above his head, interlocking his fingers together, and stretched languidly – letting out a sigh of contentment when a few of his bones popped from the movement. He then brought his arms down and rotated his slightly injured shoulder – the one Hibari had slammed his tonfa into earlier – and prodded at the undoubtedly growing bruise on it.

"… You have something on your mind, Carnivore." Hibari stated, turning on his heel sharply and striding away, his jacket fluttering in the wind. "You only lose to me when something's bothering you or if I'm in a particularly bad mood."

Tae-Il made a sound in his throat before following after his cousin. "… It's Tsuna," he revealed after a few minutes of silence, "he's hiding something from me… something dangerous."

"The only danger the Small Animal is in is you and your over protectiveness."

With a roll of his eyes, Tae-Il responded, " _No_ , Kyoya. Something serious is going on here, I'm not joking. Just now I caught the new transfer student and Tsuna in a fight… with _bombs_."

Hibari's eyes glinted dangerously. "Having explosives is a breach of Namimori Middle's safety protocol… I will bite him to death."

"No need, Kyoya, I already… 'talked' to him."

The prefect turned his head and stared at his cousin with a raised brow. "That was for picking on the Small Animal… _I_ will be punishing him for carrying explosives without permission."

"… Do what you want," Tae-Il said with a shrug and a sigh.

Hibari nodded his head and changed the direction he was walking in. After walking forward a few feet, he turned back around and said, "The Small Animal will tell you the truth soon… he's never been able to keep a secret from you for very long, Carnivore."

The teal-haired teen stopped mid-step and glanced at Hibari with a surprised look. Hibari offering any kind of comfort was extremely rare. "Kyoya…," he breathed before sobering and flashing his cousin a grateful smile, "Thanks…"

 **II.**

Hibari didn't respond, he merely turned back around and began walking away.

He had an Herbivore to bite to death.

 **III.**

The next morning, Tsuna was _stunned_ to see Tae-Il waiting for the brunet at their usual meeting place, which was the convenience store near the brunet's house.

"T-Tae-Il…" He said nervously, glancing at the bandaged and bruised-covered Gokudera who was glaring angrily at the teal-haired teen.

"Tsuna," Tae-Il responded, pushing off the guard rail he was half-sitting, half-leaning against, and taking a few steps forward. He stared at Tsuna with a serious expression. "… I don't like this, you know? … Not knowing what's going on in your life and being unable to help you…"

Tsuna gripped the strap of his schoolbag and looked down. "I know…"

"However…," Tae-Il began after a pause, "I know you'll tell me what's going on eventually… so in the mean time, I'll trust you to handle whatever's going on in your life, okay? Just promise me this: That you'll call me or Kyoya whenever you're in danger or getting attacked," a sharp glance at the silver-haired teen, "okay? No matter where I am or what I'm doing… I'll always be there for you."

"T-Tae-Il… of course! I _promise_!"

The older teen held the brunet's gaze for a moment longer before letting a smile blossom on his lips. "Good…," he murmured, reaching out a hand to ruffle Tsuna's sienna-colored hair. "As for _you_ ," Tae-Il turned his full attention to Gokudera – who had not stopped glaring at him. "If you so much as put another _scratch_ on Tsuna, I won't go easy on you like yesterday, understand?"

"Tch… and who the fuck are you to tell me what I can and cannot do, Bastard?" Gokudera scowled, narrowing his eyes even further.

" _I_ am Tsuna best friend and the person who makes sure that people like _you_ don't hurt him in any way, shape, or form. I also have familial ties to both the Yeong and Hibari clan so I would suggest you don't make an enemy out of me, okay?"

"Ha! Like I'm afraid of some punk who needs to use his family's name to intimidate other people!"

"And like I'm afraid of some silver-haired delinquent who's too afraid to fight in close-quarters and relies on long-range attacks to fight."

"Tch…! You wanna go, Bastard?!"

"Please, make my day."

"O-Okay! Th-That's enough! Please!" Tsuna immediately placed himself between Tae-Il and Gokudera. "I-If we keep this up we're going to be l-late for school! Then Kyoya will get mad!"

The two teens glared at one another once more, before looking away.

"Whatever the Tenth says…" Gokudera muttered with a scowl.

"... Don't think I'll just forgive and forget what you did to Tsuna, yesterday, Transfer Student. _He_ may accept and forgive you, but I won't."

Before Gokudera could respond, Tsuna cut in with a nervous chuckle and a strained response of, "O-Okay then! Sh-Shall we get going?"

Tae-Il and Gokudera glared at one another once more, before nodding their heads and making their way to Namimori Middle – making sure to keep the brunet between them at all times.

 **IV.**

Tsuna glanced at Gokudera out of the corner of his eye before turning his head to peer at Tae-Il. Both teens tried not to speak to one another while the three of them were walking to school, and for that, Tsuna was grateful; he wasn't sure how he'd be able to – if he even could – stop a real fight between the two of them.

Although… he glanced once more at the silver-haired teen walking next to him.

It wasn't so bad having a friend who wasn't afraid to stand up to Tae-Il.

* * *

 **It's also been about five years since I last wrote a proper fight scene. Did it flow well? Were you all able to understand and visualize who did what?**

 **Please let me know via review or PM!**

 **Hope you all enjoyed!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I.**

It was currently the time between Periods Five and Six for the students at Namimori Middle School and Tae-Il was sitting in his Home Classroom, preparing his things for the next lesson.

"T-Tae-Il-sempai!" One of his fellow classmates barreled into the 2-B classroom with a panicked shout. "Y-Yamamoto just jumped off the school roof near the audio-video room!"

Tae-Il turned from his seat with a slightly surprised expression on his face. "What?! He committed suicide? Or was he fooling around and fell by accident? Does Kyoya know?" The teal-haired teen stood with a sigh. "Ah… I'd better be the one to tell him since such an incident will hurt Namimori's reputation and anger him… Is Yamamoto-kun alright? And have the police and hospital been notified? Has someone told the Nurse? She should be able to provide medical attention until an ambulance arrives… And what about Yamamoto-kun's father? Has he been notified? And-"

"S-Sawada… Sawada also j-jumped with h-him!" The student revealed, closing his eyes and bracing himself for Tae-Il's outburst and shouts for answers. When that didn't happen, the student slowly opened one eye, then the other, to see a completely empty classroom – the second floor window wide open and the curtains swaying gently from the incoming breeze.

 **II.**

As Tae-Il raced towards the end of the building, a million-and-one thoughts and curses were flying about his head.

' _What the fuck?! Tsuna_ 'jumped' _off the school's roof?! I don't fucking believe it! There's no way in hell that he's that depressed or suicidal! … Right? No! Of course not! There has to be another fucking explanation for all this! Maybe… maybe it wasn't Tsuna, but just someone that looked like him… there are a few students here that match his body type and hair color…! Or,'_ here, golden eyes narrowed into slits, _'Or, was this all a part of some nefarious plot to get rid of Tsuna or to get to me or Kyoya? Perhaps his bullies have decided to retaliate and attacked Tsuna? If that's the fucking case…,'_ Tae-Il growled lowly, _'_ Someone _is going to fucking_ pay _...!'_

Tae-Il leapt over some of the shrubbery decorating the school ground and spotted the brunet _who was somehow perfectly fine after jumping off a four-story building?_

" _TSUNA!_ " The teal-haired teen shouted, skidding to a halt in front of the brunette. "WHO THE FUCK PUSHED YOU OFF THE BUILDING?! I'LL FUCKING MURDER THEM MYSELF AND-!"

"T-Tae-Il…!" Tsuna shot to his feet and began flailing his arms about in a panic. "I-It's not… I'm perfectly fine, _I promise_ , Tae-Il! Yamamoto-kun and I w-were just… just …"

"YAMAMOTO!" Tae-Il snapped his head around and was about to lunge at the younger teen had Tsuna not imposed his body between the two of them. "WHAT THE _FUCK_ WERE YOU THINKING DRAGGING TSUNA INTO WHATEVER THE FUCK IT WAS YOU WERE DOING?! IF THERE'S SO MUCH AS A SINGLE SCRATCH ON TSUNA, I'LL-!"

"T-Tae-Il! I'm fine, I'm fine! I'm not hurt at all so just please calm down and-!"

"Oi, Yamamoto!" A student suddenly called out, leaning out of a nearby classroom and drawing the subsequent attention of the three teens. "What the heck have you been doing?! Doing such a reckless stunt just to raise awareness of the suicide rates in Japan… if you and Dam-," the student's eyes settled on the incensed form of Tae-Il and the student quickly covered up his mistake, "-I mean… if you and S-Sawada hadn't executed that stunt perfectly you two would have gotten seriously injured – or _worse_! What would your old man say and think if that had happened?"

A look of utter shock crossed Yamamoto's features before it transformed into one of shame and guily. "R-Right… Hahaha…! My bad, next time I'll let other people in on the trick that way it's safer!," He said with a shaky grin and laugh – one that, thankfully, put at ease the other student, but did not have the same effect on Tsuna or Tae-Il.

"Good." The student nodded his head with a satisfied expression before turning his attention towards Tsuna. "And you, S-Sawada… put some damn clothes on you pervert! I don't know why you had to pull this stunt off half-naked b-but next time… wear damned some clothes!"

The brunet flushed red in embarrassment and quickly nodded his head. "R-Right! I-I will!"

The student nodded his head once more before ducking back into his classroom and shutting the window.

Silence descended upon the three remaining teens and Tae-Il – who was still exuding an air of anger and rage – clenched his fists and jaw before turning abruptly around, startling both Yamamoto and Tsuna.

"… Tsuna…," the teal-haired teen's voice was quiet and _dangerous_.

Tsuna's spine stiffened in shock and fear as he anxiously waited for his friend to get angry at him once more and-

Tae-Il let out an _enormous_ sigh; his shoulder's slumping in resignation and bitter acceptance. He was silent for a moment before saying, "… I swear you're going to give me a heart attack one of these days, Tsuna…" The taekwondo practitioner let out a hollow laugh. "Let's… let's get you two cleaned up and into some fresh clothing… and _you_ , Yamamoto-kun," here the teal-haired teen pinned the baseball start with a hard glare, " _you_ are going to have to explain all this to Kyoya and to your father."

"R-Right…" Yamamoto said – his voice full of dread and trepidation.

 **III.**

"Do you honestly believe the Herbivore's explanation that the whole incident had been a fabricated event to raise awareness for Japan's high suicide rates?"

Tae-Il let out an unimpressed snort and leaned back in his seat, tilting his head back as well to peer at the upside-down image of his cousin. The two were currently in one of the _many_ private living rooms littering the Hibari estate. The room itself was small when compared to the other massive rooms, and was decorated in a mix of traditionally Japanese furnishings and sleek, modern fixtures. Tae-Il was lounging on a plush, leather chair, his legs hanging carelessly over the far armrest.

"Of _course_ not, Kyoya. I'm not a fool, unlike a good majority of our schoolmates."

Hibari let out a hum before leisurely making his way towards a nearby sofa and draping his body over it in the same fashion as Tae-Il. "… My Disciplinary Committee has been slacking in their duties and responsibilities," the dark-haired teen began after a few minutes of comfortable silence. "The fencing encompassing the rooftop should _never_ have been allowed to fall into such a state of disrepair and they should have been keeping a closer eye on the mental state of such a prominent student at Namimori…"

Tae-Il snorted once more and crossed his arms over his chest. " _Really_? Even if your Disciplinary Committee had noticed the signs of depression and neglect in Yamamoto, they wouldn't have done a damn thing. They didn't bother to help protect Tsuna when he was younger – and they _knew_ damn well that he was under our protection – so what makes you think they would've helped Yamamoto? Human beings are selfish, impatient creatures, if they don't get immediate results or satisfaction, they won't bother to do anything."

A low growl made its way out of Hibari's throat as he narrowed his slate-colored eyes at his cousin. "… Are you disrespecting my Committee…?"

"No, Kyoya, I'm not." The teal-haired teen's voice was earnest and true. "Honestly? Your Disciplinary Committee is the best thing that has ever happened to this town. Crime, bullying, and theft rates have all gone down thanks to the watchful eye of your people… what I'm trying to say is that no system is a hundred-percent perfect and infallible. That for all the good that you and your Committee do, you aren't able to watch and protect _everyone_ in town at the same time; it's almost impossible to do so."

"… Is that a challenge?"

"… I guess it is," Tae-Il admitted after a moment of consideration. "With the Transfer Student's recent bombing and Yamamoto's 'suicide' attempt earlier today, people will begin to question the validity and capability of you and your Disciplinary Committee… and as you well know, once cracks form in the foundation of something, it'll only be a matter of time before the whole thing collapses… I hereby challenge you to perfect your Committee so that things like this won't happen again."

A blood-thirsty grin blossomed on Hibari's lips. "I accept your challenge, Carnivore… it's high time that I have a heavier hand in guiding my Committee anyway…"

"Okay… oh, and as always, no need to keep an eye on Tsuna… I'll be in charge of making sure that he doesn't get hurt in any way, shape, or form."

Hibari chuckled humorlessly and retorted, "And a fine job you've been doing of _that_ , Carnivore."

Tae-Il turned his head and glared at his cousin. "I'm not going to force Tsuna to do or tell me anything until he's ready to do so… he's trusted me enough to not question or whine about all my martial art practices and competitions and its high time I extended the same courtesy to him. However," a determined glint appeared in Tae-Il's golden eyes, "once I know what the fuck's going on… I'm _not_ going to let Tsuna get hurt anymore, I swear it!"

 **IV.**

Tae-Il's eye visible twitched in irritation as he stared at the battered, bruised, bloodied, _and_ burned forms of the three younger teens standing before him.

"So… let me get this straight," he began in a somewhat-calm tone of voice, "there was a pack of 'rabid dogs' that – _somehow_ managed to bypass the watchful eye of Kyoya and his Disciplinary Committee and – swarmed the area of the school's swimming pool and chased away the school's Swim Team… they then ran into you three and begged you to help protect the 'sanctity' that was their swimming pool which you three agreed to do… You three then got into a _massive_ fight with these so-called 'rabid dogs' who _somehow_ were able to get their hands – or paws – on machine gun caliber weaponry which these 'rabid dogs' began to assault you three with… In response to this undeniable threat, the three of you _fought_ these 'rabid dogs' with nothing but the clothes on you back and your bare hands…"

"I had my bombs and dynamites too, Bastard," Gokudera growled with a glare.

The teal-haired teen ignored Gokudera's comment and kept his focus on the brunet before him. " _Somehow_ you three managed to not only defeat these 'rabid dogs' but, you then were able to give them all Forever Homes with the members of the Namimori Middle Swim Team who were 'touched' by the loyalty and camaraderie these 'rabid dogs' displayed towards one another and that's how you three got into the state that you are currently in?"

Yamamoto laughed and placed his hands behind his head. "Haha… that sounds about right, Tae-Il-sempai!"

Tae-Il stared blankly at the trio before turning stiffly to survey the damage done to the school and the surrounding area. "… Kyoya is _not_ going to be happy about this…," he muttered blankly, watching as something suddenly burst into flames off in the distance. "Not going to be happy at all…"


End file.
